Homeless Man Jailed For Charging Cell Phone

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. A Sarasota, Florida police officer in said he was being conscientious. He arrested a homeless man in a park. The man was charging a cell phone in a picnic shelter. The officer accused him of theft of public utilities, which he said will not be tolerated during this bad economy. Apparently, it will be tolerated. A judge threw out the case, which is a relief, since otherwise police would've had to arrest half the people I saw yesterday at the airport. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.